Aboriginals and Environment

Aboriginals and Environment				and work in cities across Canada.
The environmental concerns have become				The Inuit lived and settled throughout the
growing in the modern world of industrial				northern regions of Canada. They adjusted to the
development. In fact, the environmental issue is a				cold northern climate and lived by hunting seals,
very broad one, as it touches not only the health				whales, caribou, and polar bears. The majority of
implications of pollution, but the world security as				Inuit people live in the new territory called
well. The destruction of ecosystem and the				Nunavut and some still hunt for food and clothing.
extraction of limited resources might lead to the				Many of the early French fur traders and some
world epidemics and hunger. The majority of				English traders married First Nations women. Their
natural resources are not reproductive. Thus,				children and descendants are the Metis people.
people have to be very careful exploiting.				The Metis were an important part of the fur
Unfortunately, it doesn't always happen. The most				trade and they developed their own distinct
part of human-beings are used to neglect				culture on the prairies. When Europeans arrived in
environmental issues trying to take advantage to				what is now Canada, they began to make
the fullest extent from everything that nature				agreements, or treaties, with Aboriginal peoples.
gives.				The treaty making process meant that Aboriginal
There exists a common view that aboriginals are				people gave up their title to lands in exchange for
the best representatives of the latter group of				certain rights and benefits, including continued
people, as they tie their whole existence with the				rights to fish and harvest. It is worth noting,
nature itself. Thus, aboriginals use natural				according to Usher (2003), that the treaty
resources, including fishing, hunting, and harvesting				boundaries had little to do with the traditionally
in the biggest extent. In fact, the Canadian				occupied territories of the Indian signatories, but a
society nowadays are faced with the major				lot to do with the needs of settlement and the
challenge: whether the aboriginals living in Canada				emerging spatial configuration of political control.
should or should not be allowed to hunt, fish or				The Indian understandings of treaty were
trap on a self-regulated basis. This topic is very				somewhat different. While they had certainly
complicated as it includes moral, political and				undertaken not to interfere with prospectors and
economical issues. However, Canadian society as				government officials, they also considered that
well as Government has to resolve the problem in				they had secured the necessary guarantees of
order both to prevent tensions and ensure				their traditional livelihood, and to continue to
efficient ecological policies.				benefit from and manage their own resources
This article will attempt to argue that Aboriginals				and activities. In the territorial North, where well
of Canada should be allowed to hunt, fish and trap				past the middle of the twentieth century no
on a self-regulated basis, because Aboriginals feel				reserves had been selected, many Indians
a spiritual bond with their natural environment, and				understood the reserve concept to mean areas
as a result are morally and socially obliged to				almost as large as the traditional territories
extract only what they need from their resource				themselves, in which they would have exclusive
base. There are three main assumption used to				harvesting rights.
prove the hypothesis stated above:				The history of Aboriginals in Canada is the history
It is the growing economic development and				of survival and close interconnectedness with
capitalistic system of nature exploitation that lead				nature. In fact what happened in the years
to substantial environmental concerns.				following the treaties was a process of
Natural resources are highly utilized by both				progressive encroachment and restriction that led
Aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities,				to the disruption of livelihood and community.
therefore, it is not only the concern and the guilt				Peter Usher (2003) gives the following example of
of the former.				ollution and contamination of river systems.
Self-regulation doesn't merely involve the issue of				Perhaps the best-publicized example is the
harvesting resources. The establishment of				contamination of the English and Winnipeg Rivers
self-regulated practices should be the ground-base				by mercury discharged by local pulp and paper
for broader self-government issue.				mills, and the catastrophic effects on the Grassy
Those are the major points discussed in the				Narrows and Whitedog Indian Reserves. The
research paper with regard to the major topic.				commercial fishery was ordered closed in the
The main goal of the paper is to show that				spring of 1970, several fishing lodges soon closed
civilized society of either ethnicity should gain				due to adverse publicity, and by the mid-1970s,
more freedom including self-government, as the				Health Canada was advising residents not to eat
latter is the best way to enhance full personal				fish. The rivers-- the source of food and livelihood
responsibility concerning different issues including				for Aboriginals--were declared to be poisoned.
this of environment.				Prior to contamination the fishery had accounted
Capitalistic system and nature exploitation.				for about half of all personal income on the two
Today, virtually everyone agrees that there has				reserves, and had come to provide the material
been a serious degradation of the natural				focus of social and cultural continuity of Aboriginal
environment in which we live, by comparison with				Population. Adverse effects of the loss were not
30 years ago. I don't take even longer period,				simply economic, but medical, social and
because the difference would be amazingly				psychological.
enormous. And this is the case, despite the fact				This tragical story shows how important it is for
that there have been continuous significant				Aboriginals to keep up with nature, to live with
technological inventions and an expansion of				nature, cause the latter is the only source of
scientific knowledge that one might have				survival. Moreover, Aboriginal culture for centuries
expected would have led to the opposite				enhanced closed ties with natural environment. It
consequence. As a result, today, unlike 30 or 100				means that close interconnectedness with all living
or 500 years ago, ecology has become a serious				for Aboriginals is not merely a means of
political issue in many parts of the world. There				satisfaction of their basic needs. It is a spiritual
are even reasonably significant political				thing, it is a magic that they've experienced for
movements organized centrally around the theme				many years. To deprive Aboriginals of their rights
of defending the environment against further				to fish and harvest whenever they want means
degradation and reversing the situation to the				to deprive them their spiritual roots. The latter, in
extent possible.				turn, are the origin, the inspiration of their life.
Our life is a constant change. Ancient people were				Yet, there is one more important implication of
different from those who lived in the Middle Ages.				the example described above. It has to do with
The latter differed much from those of 19th				the real interest that Aboriginals have in nature's
century. Contemporary informational society is				extraction. It was already mentioned that nature
surely quite different from the one of the 19th				feeds Aboriginals. Thus, if something happens, like
century. All those changes took place to gradual				in the case above, they are left with nothing. The
development of civilization economic, political,				key difference between Aboriginal peoples and
technological. In fact, all the latter factors are				most others in these situations, however, is that
strongly interconnected: even subtle change in one				Aboriginals have no defense against them.
leads to the more substantial change in the other.				Non-Aboriginal communities use natural resources
The reason I have pointed this out is to				in much bigger extent and get great profits, while
understand that changes in the environment we				aboriginals simply try to back up their existence.
are so much concerned about didn't just happen				Even if they get profit, it is far less substantial
themselves. There was the chain of events				that the one of transnational corporations.
preceding the phenomenon. The most important				Moreover, probably the most influential justification
one is the economic development. Thus, in order				of the Aboriginals' usage of natural resources is
to discuss the issue of increased ecological danger,				the fact that they are trying to preserve their
we actually need to identify the most relevant				community, their cultural and ethnic communities.
source of this danger.				In such a way, it is important to point that
The story begins with two elementary features				Aboriginal population of Canada has the only
of historical capitalism. One is well-known:				reason of active usage of nature attempt to
capitalism is a system that has an imperative				survive and preserve ethnic and cultural
need to expand in terms of total production,				community. They greatly depend on nature both
expand geographically in order to sustain its prime				physically (to satisfy their basic needs) and
objective, the endless accumulation of capital. The				spiritually. They are closely tied with soil and all
second feature is less often discussed. An				living organism. To deprive them of these ties
essential element in the accumulation of capital is				mean to deprive them of their life. Non-Aboriginal
for capitalists, especially large capitalists, not to				communities, in turn, have much more mercantilist
pay their bills. The expansion of capitalistic system				purposes in nature exploitation. Very often those
is obvious, especially if we think of the realities of				purposes might even harm Aboriginal population.
modern time globalization. The main vice of				Thus, the task of the Government is to protect
capitalism and the pursue of financial benefits is				Aboriginal rights to fish and harvest, but not
the ecology neglect. In fact, it is due to the goal				deprive of them.
of money pursuit that people started to accept				The importance of self-regulation with regard to
the concept of "nature conquer". Now, to be sure,				Aboriginal population of Canada.
neither expansion nor the conquest of nature was				Self-regulation is more a political issue than any
unknown before the onset of the capitalist				other's, as it gives broader rights on the one
world-economy in the sixteenth century. What				hand, and encourages individual responsibility, on
historical capitalism did was to push these two				the other hand. Self-regulation is probably the
themes the actual expansion and its ideological				most vital and relevant issue if we are to talk
justification to the forefront, and thus to override				about Aboriginals and their right to hunt, fish and
social objections to such terrible actions.				trap whenever they want.
All the values of capitalist civilization are millennial,				It is important to point out that while Canada has
but so are other contradictory values. What we				moved beyond its colonial relationship with Great
mean by historical capitalism is a system in which				Britain, many argue that Aboriginal peoples in
the institutions that were constructed made it				Canada continue to be entrenched in colonialism. In
possible for capitalist values to take priority, such				recent years, self-government negotiations have
that the world-economy was set upon the path				been initiated to redress this paradox. Problematic,
of the commodification of everything in order				however, is the fact that these negotiations are
that there be ceaseless accumulation of capital for				taking place in a socioeconomic environment that
its own sake. (Wallerstein, 1997)				is being transformed by globalization. In this era of
Certainly, the effects of capitalism didn't appear				globalization, in which corporations assume a more
suddenly. It takes time to destroy nature, to cut				dominant role in all spheres of life, the Canadian
trees and pollute rivers, to exhaust mineral				government is involved in a process of significant
resources. However, these sad effects still take				restructuring driven by a neoliberal agenda.
place in the modern society. A lot of people				(Slowey, 2001) In accordance with this vision of a
declare they have broad rights. Yet, these rights				minimum intervention of t state, self-government
mean the right to cut and destroy. Interestingly				is being promoted as a means for political
that this does not stop many of these same				autonomy as well as for economic development in
people from also wanting to slow down the				Aboriginal communities--all considered critical
degradation of the world environment. But that				elements of "decolonization."
simply proves that we are involved in one more				As Canada's Aboriginal people are already largely
contradiction of this historical system. That is,				dependent on the state, native policy, and more
many people want to enjoy both more trees and				specifically self-government policy, must be
more material goods for themselves, and a lot of				viewed within the globalization context. According
them simply segregate the two demands in their				to Slowey (2001), in Canada, government is trying
minds.				to get out of the Indian business To this end,
Moreover, another problem rooted from the				current native policy, set out in Canada's Aboriginal
capitalistic system is increasing production. From				Action Plan, focuses on reassigning powers and
the point of view of capitalists, as we know, the				devolving administrative responsibilities to
point of increasing production is to make profits. It				Aboriginal communities, all under the guise of
involves production for exchange and not				increased political autonomy or self-government.
production for use. Profits on a single operation				This plan promotes aboriginal governance,
are the margin between the sales price and the				encourages new partnerships, and promotes new
total cost of production, that is, the cost of				fiscal relationships, all in an effort to increase
everything it takes to bring that product to the				Aboriginal self-sufficiency.
point of sale. Of course, the actual profits on the				Some people might argue, however, that
totality of a capitalist's operations are calculated				self-government is a political tool of Canadian
by multiplying this margin by the amount of total				authorities designed on purpose to make
sales. That is to say, the "market" constrains the				Aboriginal population cooperate with transnational
sales price. At a certain point, the price becomes				corporations, which desire to take over the
so high that the total sales profits are less than if				former's land and exploit its natural resources in
the sales price were lower.				their own interests. Indeed, they are right to
It is interesting to figure out what constrains this				some extent. The problems of Aboriginal
costs. The price of labor plays a very large role in				communities are so vast and financially consuming
this. Under the capitalistic system the labor was				that government alone does not have enough
exploited as to decrease the overall costs. Such				money to solve them. More and more often,
mere neglecting of people's dignity can be vividly				government turns to corporations to assist in the
seen nowadays as well. Employers pursue cheap				financing of social services previously delivered by
labor, thus cheap production. Environmental				government. In this spirit, government now points
concerns and care are not included in their plans.				to Aboriginals as the "readymade labor force,
Employees, in turn, seeking to survive concern				investment partner and corporate neighbor for
about their children and families in the first place,				the private sector" (Slowey, 2001).
rather than about nature and environment as a				Many Aboriginals, in turn, embrace
whole.				self-government as a step to political autonomy
Besides the issue of increasing production and				and embrace corporate development as a step to
labor exploitation produced by capitalistic system,				self-sufficiency. Through the federal strategy, First
there exist some political factors that also				Nations are awarded degrees of decision making
contribute to the overall environmental issues how				power or land for their economic development. At
to arrange people and make them pay to restore				the same time, MNCs generally approach
nature. According to Wallerstein (1997), the				Aboriginal communities to assist in the
arrangement for states to pay costs can be done				development of resources by promising
in one of two ways. The governments can				job-training programs, labor contracts, and
accept the role formally, which means subsidies of				scholarships, to build congenial relationships with
some kind. However, subsidies are increasingly				communities that have a voice in the
visible and increasingly unpopular. They are met				development process.
with loud protests by competitor enterprises and				However, the main issue of self-government with
by similar protests by taxpayers. Subsidies pose				regard to Aboriginals still remains the issue of free
political problems. There is another, more				fishing, harvesting, and trapping. Though the
important, way, which has been politically less				politicians of Canada had promised vast rights to
difficult for governments, because all it requires is				Aboriginal population, they are still not so much
non-action. Throughout the history of historical				ensured. Despite the number of initiatives the
capitalism, governments have permitted				government has launched to try to achieve
enterprises not to internalize many of their costs,				degrees of self-government and settle claims
by failing to require them to do so. They do this				throughout Canada, most grievances remain
in part by underwriting infrastructure and in part				unresolved. However, when an agreement is
by not insisting that a production operation include				reached, the government is portrayed as
the cost of restoring the environment in such a				generous and the Aboriginal peoples as land and
way that it is "preserved."				cash rich. But neither is true. Yet, it is critical for
Here again, we've come to the important point				First Nation to gain rights to self-govern in fishing
connected with economic development the				and harvesting in order to be able to build
increasing activities of enterprises. The historical				sustainable economic development of their small
capitalism led to the fact that people accumulated				community. And they are trying hard to get that
money. The latter was needed to be invested in				right.
something. Surely, the best investments are				In fact, Aboriginal peoples in Canada are working
factories and plants that produce different				to keep their unique cultures and languages alive.
products to be sold to gain more profits. It is a				They are trying to regain control over decisions
well-known fact that production can never be				that affect their lives - in other words, to become
safe enough. Dangerous and pollutive technologies				self-governed. Aboriginal peoples continue to play
are transferred all over the world. Huge				an active role in building the future of Canada.
transnational corporations do not care about the				It is fair to mention one more problem that
environmental effects. Unfortunately, even when				pertains to the issue of Aboriginal self-governance.
they are forced to undertake some serious				Though most Aboriginal peoples support
actions, they do this reluctantly, just to avoid				self-government, they are often divided on the
international organizations interference. They sign				topic of the resource-driven development of land.
deals with national governments and pay bribes				Despite the eagerness of some Aboriginals, many
just to avoid responsibility. Thus, environmental				others (in particular traditionalists and elders) fear
issue became not solely the issues of health and				development is simply "taking them for a ride." As
security concern. They are involved in serious				Slowey (2001) assures, they recognize that
political manipulations. Nowadays environment is				development does not accord with their traditional
not merely the problem of survival. It is a				pursuits and only further entrenches them in an
problem of profits and wealth. Big capital do not				alien, imposed system. This pressure has resulted
care about nature. Yet, big capital needs to				in the strong division of some communities.
ensure that nature would not prevent it from				Though some promote the land-for-cash option,
gaining substantial profits. The best way to ensure				many remain determined to preserve and further
this is to make friends with big politics.				develop and transmit to future generations
Thus, finally, we've come to the important point				ancient land and culture. However, globalization
the issue of people who do not have either				works forcefully against the traditionalist element
political influence, or any interesting in nature's				of Aboriginal communities. As the sense of global
destruction and exploitation for solely enrichment				interconnectedness intensifies, it becomes
purposes versus the rest of society. The former				increasingly difficult to espouse traditionalism,
are the representatives of the group of Native				particularly in an era when many Aboriginal
Americans who live in Canadian area. Canadian				peoples are victims of non-Aboriginal assimilation,
Aboriginals are not the players of capitalistic				primarily through the education system and the
system. The laws of capitalism discussed above				media. Thus, resource development not only
do not apply to them. Moreover, they are victims				further divides Aboriginal peoples, but it threatens
of such a system that is trying to damage the				to conquer them.
only thing that Aboriginals live from nature. Thus,				However, even despite those existing problems,
the reasonable question arises why people who				the benefits of self-governance are undoubtful.
do not take part in capitalistic system of				Aboriginal people live in their tight traditional
destruction and exploitation should suffer to the				communities. The interference of government in
fullest extent from it? Though Aboriginals of				the form of any kind of regulation can easily
Canada actively uses natural resources their				undermine this calmness and destroy the
purposes are far more humanistic than the ones				community itself. Environmental issues are
of those who are the key players of modern				especially important for Aboriginal population in
market economy.				Canada as they are the matter of survival.
In such a way, we can see that environment is				Therefore, granting Aboriginals right to fish, hunt
not solely the issue of health care. It involves				and trap on the self-government bsis will become
much broader topics such as economics and				a great contribution to the overall rights of those
politics. In fact, it is the latter that gave birth to				people and preservation of their unique culture
so-called capitalistic system, which led to severe				and nation.
social and nature's exploitation. It is the capitalistic				Conclusion
system that contributed to substantial production				The environmental issues gain more serious
increase and put in danger the whole ecosystem.				importance in the modern world of globalization
Moreover, it put in danger the survival of those				and fast growth. However, the environmental
who solely depend on nature aboriginals. Now, the				concerns root far deep in the history of different
Aboriginals of Canada have to face the problem				civilizations and systems. The historical capitalism is
of limit of resource usage due to possible				the main system, which can be blamed for
governmental regulations.				environmental concerns. The former gave birth to
The interest of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal				rigorous exploitation of social and natural
communities in nature's usage.				resources. Capitalism by its nature is concerned
It has been already told that economic				with maximum profit at any cost, whether that
development led to production increase. In order				cost is human misery or environmental
to produce, it is necessary to have raw materials				degradation. It seeks quick returns and is opposed
at disposal. Therefore, the issue of natural				to long-range social planning. People became mere
resources extraction becomes crucial. There exist				tools for enrichment of others. Being hardly able
many people that are highly convinced though				to survive, they didn't think about nature
that this kind of extraction in its major part				preservation. Their primary concern was how to
belongs to those who live from this nature, i.e.				survive. Moreover, the capitalistic system also
Aboriginals. However, it can be arguable that				gave impulse to increased production. The latter,
aboriginals utilize nature thus harming it more				in turn, stimulated the rise of huge transnational
seriously rather than modern non-Aboriginal				corporations. Their global business endangered the
communities.				normal functioning of ecosystems worldwide. In
Aboriginal peoples in Canada are the descendants				order to escape responsibility TNCs have been
of the original inhabitants of North America.				always signing deals with influential politicians. Thus
According to the 1996 national census, Canada's				we see that environment has always been not so
Aboriginal population stood at just over 790,000,				much an issue of healthcare as an issue of wealth
or about 2.8 percent of the Canadian population of				and politics. Yet, such flaws could be forgiven if
28.5 million. The Canadian Constitution recognizes				they didn't affect one of the most vulnerable
three groups of Aboriginal people: Indians (also				group of people Aboriginals.
sometimes called "First Nations") who comprise 69				In fact, Canadian Aboriginals have been suffered
percent of all Aboriginal, MÃ©tis people (people				much from TNCs trying to take over their land.
of both Aboriginal and European ancestry) who				But what is even more discouraging for them is
represent 26 percent, and Inuit (Arctic people)				the fact that they still do not have absolute rights
with 5 percent. These are three separate peoples				to take advantage of their natural resources
with unique heritages, languages, cultural practices,				whenever and wherever they want. This situation
and spiritual beliefs. This very diversified Aboriginal				puts at risk their mere existence, as the
community has given rise to many leaders and				dependence of Aboriginals upon nature is obvious.
groups, which focus on their concerns and				Moreover, ties with the natural environment is
represent them in interactions with all levels of				somewhat more than simple attempt to satisfy
government and with non-Aboriginal Canadians.				basic needs. It is a spiritual context that deeply
The most vital concerns are, certainly, the ones				roots in Aboriginals ties with nature itself.
connected with the possibility of fishing, hunting				Thus, to help Aboriginals to preserve their
and trapping on a self-regulated basis.				ethnicity, their culture and traditions, moreover,
This issue is so important for them, because the				simply to help them to survive, it is absolutely
majority of Aboriginals depend on nature. Natural				important to grant this group of people
resources are the only possible way for them to				self-governance. The government of Canada has
survive. In fact, people of the First Nations lived in				to ensure those rights as quickly as possible.
all areas of Canada. Those who lived on Canada's				Moreover, it can be an important political tool to
coasts depended on fishing and hunting while				keep the country out of ethnical tensions and
those who lived on the prairies moved with				First Nation's anger. Besides, self-governance is an
buffalo herds, which they hunted for food,				effective remedy to promote individual
clothing, and tools. First Nations people who lived in				responsibility. Because only conscious society can
central and eastern Canada hunted and grew				form a firm ground for stable economic
vegetable crops. Today, more than hald of the				development and effective politics.
First Nations people live on reserves. Others live

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Aboriginals and Environment

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